Russian Orthodox church sacks ultra-conservative senior priest

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Russian Orthodox church sacks ultra-conservative senior priest

Father Vsevolod Chaplin, who recently referred to Russian intervention in Syria
as a holy war, relieved of his duties

Shaun Walker in Moscow
Friday 25 December 2015 15.38 GMT

The Russian Orthodox church has sacked one of its most high-profile priests, an ultra-conservative who had called for the church to play a stronger and more independent role in public life.

Father Vsevolod Chaplin, who, since 2009, had been head of the church’s department for cooperation with society, was relieved of his duties on Thursday. Chaplin had called for the church and the Russian government to take a more active role in east Ukraine, and recently referred to the Russian military intervention in Syria as a holy war. However, he had criticised the current Russian political elite for corruption.

“Everything started a year ago, as I disagreed in principle with our Ukraine position. We should have not waited but worked to make sure our authorities heard the voices of people who think themselves Russian,” Chaplin told the newspaper RBK on Friday. Chaplin said Russia’s current political leaders were an “immoral elite who are stopping the country from developing”.

Under Vladimir Putin, the Russian Orthodox Church has enjoyed a renaissance in power and authority, but essentially functions as an arm of the state. Patriarch Kirill has been present at planning meetings for Russia’s military operations in Syria and enjoys a warm relationship with the Russian president.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/25/russian-orthodox-church-sacks-father-vsevolod-chaplin

[uriel1972]

1. Too conservative for the Russian Orthodox Church?...

Now, that's conservative...

[nxylas]

2. Wow

Given the current state of the Russian Orthodox Church, it's quite an achievement to be sacked for being too conservative.

[Igel]

3. "Conservative" means "too nationalistic in an unapproved manner."

You can bless the soldiers and call them to kill the fascists, but only if it's something that God ... uh, Putin has already blessed or signaled he approves of. (It works both ways. A good Communist Party ... uh, One Russia leader sometimes has to be seen as yielding to popular demand. But only popular demand that he already approves of, and often is tacitly fomenting or having fomented.)


That, of course, can be retroactive unapproval. "The future is easy to predict, it's the past that's hard to predict."

[Bradical79]

4. Yeah, I'd say he overestimated his authority

"Chaplin said Russia’s current political leaders were an “immoral elite who are stopping the country from developing”. "

When those corrupt political elites are the #1 reason your church has had a big resurgence, criticism of them isn't going to go over too well.